Bardiani-CSF Pro Cycling Team is going to start the 2017 season by taking part in 35th Vuelta Ciclista a la Provincia de San Juan, Argentina. The seven stages of the race, scheduled from January 23 to 29, will be the first test bench of the #GreenTeam’s season. Race route measures 927 km and includes five stages suited - on paper - for sprinters, 12 km individual time trial and one summit finish stage. The team will fly to South America on January 19 and will return to Italy on the 31st.

Line up - The #GreenTeam squad, as well as other teams, includes six riders. Key rider, looking to stages’ profiles, will be Nicola Ruffoni, sprinter coming from a great 2016 season with three wins (GP Beghelli and two stages at Tour of Austria). Mirco Maestri, Lorenzo Rota and neo-pro Niccolò Pacinotti will support team ambitions, as well as Luca Wackermann (personal debut with Bardiani-CSF’s jersey) and Edoardo Zardini, the leaders for the mountain stage. DS Stefano Zanatta will manage the squad.

Nicola Ruffoni winning the first stage of the 2016 Tour of Austria

Quote - “2016 has been an excellent season and our aim for the new one is continuing along on the same path” said Zanatta. “We know it will be an hard challenge, but we have trust in new additions, starting from Wackermann and Pacinotti, and we’ll count on team’s desire to confirm 2016 exploits. Winter training has been good, without any hiccups so far - there are premises for a positive debut”.

Facts - For the six riders will be first experience in Argentina, while the #GreenTeam already started its season in South American country on 2013. 24 will be the average age of the team, with Rota and Pacinotti the youngest (1995, 21 years old) and Zardini the oldest (1989, 27 years old). Vuelta de San Juan will be the first race as professional rider for Pacinotti, while Zardini and Wackermann will be the most experienced starting their fifth season as pros. Stefano Zanatta will start his 22nd consecutive year in as team director.

James Shaw will start pro racing career at Tour Down Under

Lotto-Soudal sent me this news:

James Shaw is about to start his first season as a pro. In 2016, the 20-year-old British rider, who was already part of the Lotto Soudal U23 team for two years, got a taste of the pro existence as a trainee with the WorldTour team. Now it’s for real. Next week, he’ll participate in the Tour Down Under, a race of the highest level. James has been in Australia for a few days now and his pro début is coming closer. How is he doing?

James Shaw: “I took some time to get over the jetlag, but now my body clock is running on Adelaide time. It’s my first time ever in Australia and I like it. As far as the weather is concerned it’s a huge difference with the cold in Europe at the moment. It’s a weird feeling having high temperatures in January, that doesn’t seem right. But it’s not too hot yet. Today, was the first time the temperature rose above thirty degrees.”

“During our spare time we already had some time to look around here in Adelaide. I bought a postcard to send home to my parents. Adelaide is a beautiful city and not too crowded. You are close to the beach and hills. It’s wonderful to enjoy a coffee under the sun during our training rides. During one of our trainings Rafael Valls pointed out a koala who was chilling in a tree. It was exciting to see such an animal in its natural habitat.”

“The first days, we took it pretty easy to get used to the time difference and the climate, but the past few days we did training rides of more than four hours. We did a recon of a few of next week’s courses. We rode the last fifty kilometres of the second stage and went to see the start and finish of stage four.”

“Those recons made me even more excited to race next week. Although I’m really nervous for my first WorldTour race. I hope to come out as a stronger and better bike rider. I’m lucky to have a wealth of experience around me, with riders like Lars Bak and Thomas De Gendt who are more than willing to share their knowledge. Thomas, who already rode the Tour Down Under five times, has been giving advice on the courses. Sean De Bie is my roommate here. I already know him fairly well, because the past two years, when I was riding for the U23 team, we occasionally met up for a ride as he didn’t live too far away. I’m starting a new and big adventure, but the fact that I’m surrounded by such a nice team will dampen the shock.”

Pon Holdings acquires U.S. e-bike brand Faraday Bicycles

Bike Europe sent me this news:

ALMERE, the Netherlands – Pon Holdings has acquired Faraday Bicycles as of January 1, 2017. Faraday Bicycles is a lifestyle e-bike brand designed in San Francisco and manufactured in Taiwan.

With its stylish bicycle design, inspired by the classic European delivery bikes of the 1940’s and 50’s, offering integrated electrical and connectivity solutions, the Faraday brand stands out in the US e-bike market. The product range consists of models that can be personalized to match the customer’s needs and preferences.

Faraday Bicycles was established in 2012 by Adam Vollmer, a former design engineer. After an extensive R&D process Faraday started production at a small, family-owned factory in Taiwan in 2014. The brand has shown huge growth in just two years’ time and is now being sold in more than than 90 bicycle retail locations across 23 US states.

The Pon press release on the takeover states, “Demand for e-bikes as a sustainable and affordable solution for commuters is growing throughout North America. Pon already successfully markets e-bikes in North America, and the addition of a strong local bicycle brand in the comfort segment is key to realizing its growth ambitions in coming years. The combination of Faraday Bicycles’ innovative products and the advantages of scale represented by the international Pon organization significantly increases both parties’ growth potential.”